2024-01-03 18:44:08
Berlin. Infection with a common stomach germ might increase the risk of dementia. A period following infection is particularly noticeable.
The bacterium can enter the brain via various routes and lead to the deterioration of nerve cells: an infection with the stomach germ Helicobacter pylori might increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia. This is the result of a common Study from the Berlin Charité and McGill University in Montreal (Canada), which has now been published in the specialist magazine “Alzheimer’s & Dementia”.
Dementia will continue to increase in an aging population: According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), it will increase over the next 40 years frequency of dementia is expected to triple. Since there is currently no cure in sight, medicine is trying to identify the risk factors for dementia – in the hope of being able to eliminate them.
Helicobacter pylori might promote dementia
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori can find its way into the brain. © iStockphoto | iStockphoto
Science has long had an eye on the stomach germ Helicobacter pylori, or Hp for short, as a possible risk factor. With this bacterium Almost a third of all people in Germany are infected. An infection can have no symptoms, but can also cause inflammation of the stomach lining and even stomach cancer. A connection between an Hp infection and impairment of the central nervous system has also been found in numerous laboratory studies.
“We know that the bacterium can reach the brain via various routes and, under certain circumstances, cause inflammation, damage and the deterioration of the brain Neurons “leads,” says Prof. Antonios Douros, pharmacoepidemiologist at the Charité and first author of the study, according to the announcement. In addition, a stomach damaged by the germ can no longer absorb vitamin B12 and iron well, which also increases the risk of dementia.
According to the Charité, many of the previous studies on the connection between an Hp infection and Alzheimer’s disease had methodological weaknesses – the number of people included in the study was often too small. “This also means that it has not yet been possible to say exactly how strong the connection is between an infection with Hp and Alzheimer’s dementia,” says the Charité.
Representative Alzheimer’s study with over four million people
Antonios Douros, together with Prof. Paul Brassard from McGill University in Montreal (Canada) and their colleagues, have now succeeded in ironing out these weaknesses. In their study with over four million people, they not only took a lot of people into account, but also the time interval between Hp infection and a possible increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The basis for this was data from electronic patient records from Great Britain.
“Our study shows that symptomatic infections with Helicobacter pylori following 50th year of age can be associated with an eleven percent increased risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. The risk increase reaches its maximum value of 24 percent regarding a decade following the HP infection,” says Antonios Douros, summarizing the results.
Forms of dementia
Alzheimer’s diseaseAlzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and primarily affects older people. It occurs gradually and affects memory, thinking and behavior.Vascular dementiaVascular dementia occurs due to damage to the blood vessels in the brain, for example due to strokes or circulatory problems. The symptoms can vary depending on the area of the brain affected.Lewy body dementiaIn Lewy body dementia, so-called Lewy bodies accumulate in the brain, which lead to disorders in information processing. The symptoms are often similar to those of Parkinson’s disease.Frontotemporal dementiaFrontotemporal dementia primarily affects the areas of the brain that are responsible for behavior, personality and language. Symptoms can vary greatly depending on the area affected.Mixed dementiaIn mixed dementia, several forms of dementia occur at the same time, such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Are HP infections a risk factor that can be influenced?
However, this does not mean that every person will inevitably develop Alzheimer’s following a symptomatic Hp infection. “Both Calculations “It is an increase in the relative risk compared to people who have not had a symptomatic HP infection following the age of 50,” says the Charité.
“For us, this result reinforces the assumption that Helicobacter pylori infection might be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia,” concludes Antonios Douros. Whether and to what extent the consistent, comprehensive combat However, the fact that this stomach germ actually influences the development of Alzheimer’s through so-called eradication programs, i.e. the complete banishment of a pathogen in the population, must first be tested in large-scale studies.
1704330399
#Dementia #Alarming #study #bacteria #increase #risk #Alzheimers #disease
